


Baptism of Fire

by stargatefan_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-03-12
Updated: 2003-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-06 07:34:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10329389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargatefan_archivist/pseuds/stargatefan_archivist
Summary: WARNINGS: Violence, death of original characters.SUMMARY : Sam gets command but the mission gets a little rough...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Yuma, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Stargatefan.com](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Stargatefan.com). To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [StargateFan Archive Collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StargateFan_Archive_Collection).

Baptism of Fire

##  Baptism of Fire

##### Written by Aloysius   
Comments? Write to us at [apercik@aloysius.freeserve.co.uk](mailto:apercik@aloysius.freeserve.co.uk)

  * SPOILERS : None 
  * SUMMARY : Sam gets command but the mission gets a little rough… 
  * WARNINGS: Violence, death of original characters. 
  * R [D] [A] 



* * *

Daniel gazed down at Jack’s left knee, which was heavily bandaged and elevated from the surface of the infirmary bed. "Tell me again how you did this?" he asked, his brow characteristically furrowed in confusion.

Jack gave an exaggerated sigh, which he instantly regretted as his bruised ribs complained loudly. "I was trying to retrieve a hockey ball from the roof of my house," he explained, then dropped his voice in embarrassment, "and I fell off the ladder, okay?"

Daniel’s frown deepened and he switched his gaze to Jack’s face, regarding him quizzically. "And the ball got on the roof – how exactly?"

Jack rolled his eyes dramatically. "It hit the post rather hard and ricocheted." He spread his hands. "I was having a bad game."

"Evidently." Daniel’s consternation was beginning to get annoying but Jack was just glad he wasn’t laughing. After facing Goa’uld hand devices, Jaffa staff weapons and swooping death gliders, he had been taken down by an errant hockey ball and a rickety ladder. Jack knew that if it had happened to someone else he would be laughing his ass off.

Both men looked up as Sam entered the infirmary and crossed over to the Colonel’s bedside. "So, what’s the verdict, sir?" she asked, gesturing at his injury.

Jack passed a hand over his face in exasperation and replied bitterly, "The doc says I’ve got to stay off it for at least a couple of weeks. I’m gonna go nuts if I have to hang around here doing nothing for that long!"

Daniel was unsympathetic, focusing instead on his own fate. "So, with Teal’c extending his visit to his family in the Land of Light, where does that leave us?" he asked Sam. "Are we getting some time off too?"

"No such luck, I’m afraid," she responded, although her wide smile belied the sentiment behind her words. "I actually came down here to get you, Daniel. General Hammond has summoned us to a briefing. We’re getting two temporary personnel and I’m taking command of the unit for an offworld mission!"

"Hammond’s surely not letting the two of you offworld without me and Teal’c to watch your backs!" Jack teased.

"The General apparently thinks we can take care of ourselves, sir," Sam stated with mock resentment in her tone.

"Don’t worry, Jack," Daniel assured him. "We’ll tell you all about it when we get back."

"That’s what I’m afraid of," Jack fired back. The two scientists turned their backs on him and made their way to the door. "Stay out of trouble!" their commanding officer called after them, but they were already out of earshot.

From the other side of the infirmary, a nurse strode purposefully across to where he lay, a syringe in her hand. "Ah, crap," Jack muttered at the sight of her, and resigned himself to losing what would be the first of many arguments about needles in the next few days.

* * * * *

The four members of the newly put together SG unit, under the command of Major Samantha Carter, made their way across the uneven terrain of P5Z-371. The ruined settlement identified by the UAV was several klicks south of the Stargate and Sam and Daniel had agreed that they would make the trek in pairs, each established member of SG-1 walking beside one of their unfamiliar team-mates in an effort to get to know them and help them feel a part of the group. Sergeant Mike Rafters and Lieutenant Ellie Green were both relative newcomers to the SGC and General Hammond had decided that the investigation of an ancient civilisation on an apparently uninhabited planet would be a good task for their first trip offworld, as well as being an ideal opportunity for Major Carter to gain command experience.

"So, Sergeant, I understand you’re a mechanic at heart," Sam selected as a conversation opener, and received an enthusiastic smile in return for her effort.

"Yes, ma’am," Mike replied with eagerness. "Sergeant Siler’s been showing me the ins and outs of all the great machines you guys use at the SGC. I can’t wait to take one of those UAVs apart to see how it works." Mike was a couple of inches shorter and several years younger than Sam, with curly brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled when he talked about his passion.

"Well, I’m afraid you won’t get much chance to fiddle with any machinery out here," Sam remarked, gesturing at the barren landscape.

"That’s okay, ma’am," Mike responded good-naturedly. "Actually getting to travel through the Stargate was too good a chance to pass up, though I’m not sure I want to know how that works!"

Sam grinned. "I know what you mean. I know exactly how it works and I try not to think about it too much as I actually step through." They both laughed before moving on to discuss possible improvements to the MALP probes.

A few paces behind them, Daniel was similarly discovering common ground with the other new member of the team. Lieutenant Green was a petite woman of about twenty-three, with flame red hair and bright green eyes. A smattering of freckles across her nose added to her appearance of innocence and when she spoke, her words were uttered with a soft Irish brogue. She was a linguist by training, though her knowledge of languages tended more towards the modern than the ancient.

"I’m glad to have this opportunity to talk with you, Dr Jackson," she began once they had established a comfortable walking rhythm. "I’ve been wanting to ask you if you’d be willing to give me lessons in Goa’uld – if you can fit it into your schedule, of course."

Daniel was delighted by her interest and agreed immediately. "I’d be happy to, Lieutenant," he assured her. "And, please, call me Daniel. It’s one of the things I like most about being a civilian at the SGC – there’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. No salutes, no titles."

"Well, in that case, Daniel," she replied with a smile, "you should call me Ellie."

"Alright, Ellie. Now, since we’ve quite a walk ahead of us, why don’t we get started on some basic Goa’uld vocabulary?" Daniel quickly warmed to his subject and soon Sam and Mike had cause to throw confused glances over their shoulders as Ellie tried to get her tongue round the harsh syllables of their enemy’s language.

* * * * *

By the time they reached the site of the ruins, the light was beginning to fade. The descending sun bathed the remnants of the ancient buildings in a multi-hued glow, giving them an ethereal sense of mystery, which captured Daniel’s imagination as he wandered through them. In his mind’s eye, the crumbling walls and shattered pillars reformed into their original towering structures and the streets between them echoed with the countless sounds of people leading their lives. This had once been a city of impressive size and grandeur, though it had fallen many decades before. Sam watched her friend as he gazed about him, realising that he was seeing something very different to the rest of them. She marvelled at his ability to find life and vibrancy in long abandoned pieces of stone, knowing that it was that very ability that made him so special. Enthusiasm poured out from him, infecting her with its energy and making her smile at the fascination evident on his handsome features.

Spotting something of interest up ahead, Sam stepped up next to Daniel and laid a hand on his arm before silently pointing forwards and taking great pleasure in the surprise and eagerness that spread across his face as he directed his gaze in the direction she was indicating. There was a building situated at the end of the road along which they were progressing, and it was mostly intact, rising out of the ruins like a triumphant warrior amidst the aftermath of a great battle.

The structure was basically rectangular, supported all round by massive pillars, enclosing a large inner courtyard. When they reached it, Daniel immediately vanished from view into a side chamber and the others heard him exclaiming over something he discovered there. Within a few seconds, he reappeared and beckoned excitedly to Ellie. "Come on, you’ve got to see this!" he called before retreating once more out of sight. After gaining a nod of permission from Sam, Ellie set down her pack and went to join him.

Sam turned to Mike. "Let’s set up camp and make a quick perimeter check," she suggested, and they got to work preparing the area for an overnight stay.

Inside the chamber, Daniel was showing Ellie some carvings he had found. "Here’s your chance to see the Goa’uld language in its written form," he told her and grinned at her shocked expression.

"This was a Goa’uld city?" she gasped.

"It certainly looks that way," he nodded, "but that’s not the most interesting thing about this place. Look over here." Taking her arm, he led her across to the far wall where the carvings were partially obscured by some kind of coloured paste that had been daubed over the top of them. Overlaying the Goa’uld symbols and their accompanying representation of an imposing figure on a throne was a crude drawing of a group attacking the enthroned ruler.

Ellie stared at it in wonder. "It looks like a cave painting," she commented, "but what does it mean?"

Daniel was rapidly scanning the text beneath. "Well, this section of wall is proclaiming the might and power of the king, presumably a Goa’uld, and setting out the laws by which his subjects were expected to live. The coloured drawing is much more recent, obviously, and it suggests to me that the slaves staged a rebellion at some point and celebrated their victory by obliterating their ruler’s statements of authority and replacing them with a pictorial assertion of their independence."

"So you think they overthrew the Goa’uld and gained their freedom?" At Daniel’s nod of agreement, Ellie put forward her own thoughts. "That might explain why the city is in ruins, but where did all the slaves go?"

Daniel took a moment to think before replying. "There were no signs of current habitation in the data sent back by the probe," he mused, "but it’s a big planet. Maybe they moved somewhere else to get away from reminders of their oppressors, or perhaps they all died out for some reason. We may never know, but it’s always heartening to discover evidence of attacks on the Goa’uld by those they believe they have conquered." He grinned at his companion. "It just goes to show that people don’t take kindly to being made into slaves and forced to accept false gods."

At that point, Sam appeared in the doorway and told them the camp was all set up. "You’ve got all day tomorrow to explore this place properly," she told Daniel firmly. "Come out now, have something to eat, and you can tell Sergeant Rafters and me all about your theories so far."

Reluctantly, Daniel acquiesced and the three of them went back outside to where Mike was preparing some unappetising MREs over a carefully constructed fire. They all sat down, and Daniel was about to launch into a description of the chamber when Mike suddenly cocked his head to one side and held up one hand to forestall him.

"What is it, Sergeant?" Sam asked softly, searching the surrounding darkness for any sign of a threat.

"I thought I heard something," the young man replied. "It might just have been the wi-"

Before his could finish his sentence, a small object came sailing through the air out of the shadows to land squarely in the roaring fire. Immediately, a thick cloud of black smoke poured out of it and enveloped them in its choking miasma. Overcome by the acrid fumes, the four SGC personnel collapsed to the ground, coughing and spluttering. Just before she lost consciousness, Sam made out several figures padding silently forward to surround them. Obviously the city wasn’t uninhabited after all.

* * * * *

The first thing Sam noticed on waking up was the chill of the night air on her bare skin. The second was the sense of disorientation as she realised that whatever surface she was lying on was moving. She slowly opened her eyes and was immediately plunged into a momentary panic as she looked straight down through twenty feet of thin air to the ground below. Forcing her pounding heart to slow down, she managed to make a calm assessment of the situation.

Light was coming from a huge bonfire on a slight rise in the ground off to the left, as well as from the two full moons in the sky above. Pushing herself up on her arms, Sam discovered that she was imprisoned in a large cage, which was made of interlocking poles of wood and suspended in the air from the branches of a huge tree. As she sat up, she realised that the top half of her body had been stripped down to her bra and patterned with some kind of paint. She was also missing her boots and socks. Glancing around the confines of the cage, she saw Daniel lying in the far corner, but Sergeant Rafters and Lieutenant Green were nowhere to be seen.

Sam scrambled awkwardly across the uneven surface to check on Daniel. He was similarly stripped to the waist with an intricate design painted across his chest. He was still unconscious but he came awake at her touch with a violent start that sent the whole cage swinging on its rope.

Keeping one hand on his arm, Sam warned, "Try not to make any sharp movements."

Having opened his eyes briefly and caught a glimpse of their surroundings, Daniel was now lying completely rigid, his hands gripped tightly round two of the poles and his eyes squeezed shut again. "Oh God," he uttered through clenched teeth. "Tell me we’re not in a see-through cage suspended twenty feet off the ground."

It was then that Sam remembered Daniel’s fear of heights and she squeezed his arm. "Sorry, Daniel, but that’s exactly where we are, and Sergeant Rafters and Lieutenant Green aren’t with us."

That distracted Daniel from the drop below them and he managed to push himself up into a sitting position, wedged up against the side of the cage, facing Sam. She was careful to maintain eye contact with him, knowing that would help with his vertigo, but he still looked rather pale and his hands trembled slightly as he ran them through his hair.

"So," he said, shakily, "there are obviously people still living here that the UAV didn’t find and they obviously didn’t appreciate us making camp in their ruins. What else do we know?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Sam admitted. "Was there anything in that chamber that might help you figure out what these markings mean?" She gestured at his body and then at her own, realising that Daniel hadn’t yet noticed the artwork they had acquired. Now that he did, he immediately started examining it and, in different circumstances, Sam might have been amused by the intensity with which he ran his gaze over her bare flesh without any indication that he was looking at anything other than the design painted onto it.

After a few moments, Daniel gave an exasperated sigh and sat back against the wall of their prison, rubbing his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of one hand. "The texture of the paint is the same as the pictures I found on the walls in that building but, without a cultural frame of reference, I have no way of knowing the meaning of the colours and shapes. I’m assuming that they have some kind of ritual significance but I have no idea what. I’m sorry, Sam."

"Don’t worry," she said with a rueful smile. "I expect we’ll find out what they want with us sooner or later."

At that moment, an eerie ululating cry pierced the air, drawing their attention down to the ground. From out of the darkness came a procession of figures. They were basically humanoid in form but they definitely weren’t human. They didn’t appear to be wearing any clothing, but their skin was covered in scales, in colours of blue, orange and yellow. Their heads were snakelike in shape, making them look a little like living versions of serpent guard armour.

Daniel squinted to try and make out the details of the creatures’ physiology but, without his glasses, the small figures were fairly blurry. He felt Sam stiffen beside him and then she breathed, "Oh no!"

He immediately turned to look at her and asked anxiously, "What is it?"

Without taking her eyes off the scene below, Sam pointed towards the procession and replied grimly, "They’ve got Mike and Ellie down there."

Completely forgetting his fear of heights in his concern for their team-mates, Daniel looked back down at the ground. Two of the figures in the group were indeed human and Daniel’s heart sank as he realised that their hands were tied behind their backs.

Sam watched in growing apprehension as Sergeant Rafters and Lieutenant Green were led over to a pair of stout wooden posts to which their hands were securely lashed, high over their heads. The snake creatures then split up into groups of four or five, spaced out around their captors.

As Sam and Daniel watched in stunned fascination, the creatures began attacking each other within their groups, using vicious-looking claws and protruding teeth against their opponents.

"What do you think they’re doing?" Sam asked Daniel in a harsh whisper.

"It looks like some form of competition," he said, then added grimly, "perhaps with Mike and Ellie as the trophies."

Gradually, the number of active snake creatures dwindled as most were rendered unconscious by the battles. When a victor was established for each group, the remaining four split into two pairs and continued fighting until only two were left. These two, apparently the champions of the contest, saluted each other with a raised fist before moving to stand before their prisoners.

As they advanced on Mike and Ellie, Sam was unable to remain silent any longer. Throwing herself against the side of the cage, she cried out desperately, "No! Leave them alone!" However, the snake creatures either did not hear her or chose not to respond. Their clawed hands flashed out, ripping out the throats of their victims, and they proceeded to drink the blood that flowed from the mortal wounds. Eventually, sated, they lay down at the feet of their victims and appeared to go to sleep.

By the time it was over, Daniel was glad his less than perfect vision had spared him the gruesome details. Sam, on the other hand, had been granted no such reprieve and it had taken all of her considerable will to prevent herself from emptying the contents of her stomach as the scene unfolded. Now, though, with the threat from the creatures removed, at least for the time being, her military survival training sprang to the fore.

"We’ve got to get out of here while they’re all incapacitated," she stated practically and immediately started scanning the cage for possible weak spots. Knowing Sam was right and that what would follow was likely to be less than fun for him – though infinitely better than the alternative – Daniel steeled himself against his reaction both to what they had just witnessed and their current whereabouts. He was determined not to let his fear of heights make him a liability in their escape attempt. Joining Sam in her examination of their prison, he spotted a section of wood in one corner that was warped and pointed it out to her. She scrambled across to where he sat and patted him on the shoulder approvingly.

"Good work, Daniel," she said. "Now, if we both give it a good hard kick at the same time, it should split away and give us a way out." Daniel followed her gaze as she plotted their escape route. "Then we climb to the top of the cage, up the rope, along the branch and down the tree to the ground." Daniel paled at the prospect, but said nothing, simply nodding in agreement to her plan. Then a nasty thought struck him.

"How are we going to find the Stargate?" he asked.

In answer, Sam pulled herself to her feet and peered out through the slats of the cage. Dawn was fast approaching and the first rays of the morning sun glinted off a structure in the distance, catching her eye. "There!" she cried, pointing, though Daniel couldn’t make out what she was looking at. "I think those are the ruins where we were captured," Sam elaborated, "which means the Stargate should be in that direction." She swung her arm round to where she had calculated they should aim for, carefully committing the lay of the land to memory. Then she sat back down next to Daniel and fixed him with a steady gaze. "You ready for this?" she asked him. He nodded grimly in response.

Sam ran a hand down Daniel’s arm in a show of understanding of how hard this was going to be for him. He gave her a small smile in return to reassure her that he wouldn’t let her down.

Three sharp kicks from both of them in unison had the desired effect. With a loud splintering sound, the warped pole separated from the others at the weak join. With that as a starting point, creating a hole big enough for them to climb out was short work.

"Right," Sam said, her resolve still firmly in place, "do you want to go first or shall I?"

Daniel took a brief moment to weigh up his options and then replied, "You go and I’ll follow," deciding it would be better for Sam to demonstrate the route and show that it was possible.

She swiftly climbed through the hole with catlike grace, then paused, clinging to the outside of the cage, and gave him an encouraging smile. "Just keep your eyes on me and don’t look down," she advised, before resuming her journey to the top of the cage. Taking several deep breaths, Daniel followed.

The smooth interlocking poles made climbing fairly easy, although their movements did cause the cage to swing about a far amount. Keeping his eyes firmly on where he was placing his hands, Daniel made it to the top without too much difficulty. He crawled slowly to the rope attached to the centre of the cage’s roof and looked up to see that Sam was already inching her way towards the trunk of the massive tree, wrapped around the branch above him like a sloth.

By the time Daniel had copied his team-mate’s actions and made his way along the branch to the main trunk, Sam had already reached the ground. There was another, slightly smaller branch sticking out from the tree below the one that held the cage and Daniel managed to manoeuvre himself so that he was standing on this lower branch and leaning against the trunk. However, he was still nearly twenty feet above ground level and there were no more branches to climb down onto. He had not seen how Sam had progressed from this point and so he remained where he was, frozen in indecision.

Looking for some kind of assistance from his friend, Daniel made the mistake of glancing downwards and the sight of Sam craning her neck to look up at him sent a wave of dizziness coursing through him. Then Sam’s calm voice cut through his panic with words of support and advice.

"You’re doing really well, Daniel," she called up to him with no trace of condescension in her tone. "You’re almost there. The trunk is on a slight slope so all you have to do is lay yourself along it and slowly edge down. There are plenty of knots and bumps for extra purchase. You can do this – it’s almost over."

Gaining strength from the certainty in her voice, Daniel found himself following her instructions without even really thinking about it. Soon, he was making his way down the trunk of the tree, with Sam calling out encouragement every step of the way. He was still about ten feet from ground level, though, when a flimsy twig gave way under his right foot and he lost his grip on the trunk. Suddenly, he was sliding uncontrollably downwards and he cried out in startled pain as the rough bark caught at the bare skin of his chest and arms. He heard Sam call his name in alarm and then he felt himself fall away from the tree and land heavily on the ground, knocking the breath from his lungs.

Sam was by his side instantly, her eyes alight with concern, but he surprised her with a wide grin. "Daniel?" she questioned in confusion.

A breathless, near-hysterical laugh escaped his lips and he gasped, "Solid ground! Not quite how I planned on getting back to it, but it’ll do!"

Sam looked over his scraped and bleeding body, trying to gauge the seriousness of the damage, but the skin was so completely smeared with paint, blood and bits of bark that it was difficult to tell, particularly in the pre-dawn light. "Are you okay?" she asked, forced to settle for his own assessment of his condition.

Still breathing heavily and trembling slightly under her hands, Daniel made a visible effort to compose himself before replying, "I think so, but Janet’s going to have a field day with me when we get home." Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he continued, "Speaking of which, shall we make a move?"

Sam nodded and got to her feet, offering Daniel a hand, which he gratefully accepted. Now that they were down on the ground, it was impossible to ignore the scene that lay before them and their emotions were overwhelmed once more at the sight of their two erstwhile team-mates. Sam was drawn against her will towards the two poles that stood upright next to the bonfire, and she gazed in renewed horror at the bodies they supported. It was difficult to believe that, only a few hours before, they had been vibrant, enthusiastic people, just embarking on a new and exciting phase in their young lives. Now the spark of their souls had been violently ripped from them, leaving behind only dead flesh.

"I hate just leaving them here like this," Sam whispered hoarsely.

Daniel laid a hand on her shoulder, willingly taking his turn to support her as she had done for him. "There’s nothing we can do for them now," he pointed out, matter-of-factly, "and we have to make getting ourselves home our first priority. These creatures aren’t going to stay asleep forever."

Nodding acquiescence, Sam resolutely turned away from the carnage and set off down the path along which the procession of creatures had originally come. Daniel followed wordlessly, wondering where they were going, since the Stargate was in the opposite direction, but the answer soon became apparent. Before long, the path led to the mouth of a cave and, just inside, they discovered their packs and weapons. There was no sign of their boots or jackets, though.

Sam wasted no time in selecting two MP5s and a GDO from the pile, giving one of the guns to Daniel. "We’ll leave the rest, so we can move more quickly," she suggested before heading back in the direction from which they had just come. Daniel shouldered the unfamiliar weapon and thought about how far away the Stargate was. It would take them more than a couple of hours to get there and it was certain not to be a pleasant journey, considering their lack of footwear. The sun was nearly up, however, which would make the going a little easier. They walked in silence, each absorbed by their own thoughts and feelings regarding the events of the night, but not yet prepared to talk about them.

* * * * *

Two hours later, Daniel was beginning to flag. The adrenaline surge prompted by the climb down from the cage had worn off and he was in considerable pain from his various injuries. He felt light-headed and exhausted, and walking was becoming increasingly difficult. Sam had set a fast pace, which Daniel had originally matched in his eagerness to get home and determination not to be a liability, but now he was falling behind. Eventually, he stumbled over an uneven piece of ground and fell to his hands and knees.

Up ahead, Sam heard him cry out and turned back to help him. What she saw when she looked back startled her out of her dark reverie and flooded her with more immediate feelings of guilt. Now that the daylight was stronger, she could see a nasty gash in Daniel’s side, which had created a frighteningly wide bloodstain down his pant leg. Kneeling down beside him, Sam hurriedly started ripping bandages from her own remaining clothing as best she could.

"Daniel, why didn’t you say something?" she muttered, concern causing exasperation to creep into her tone.

Daniel looked up at her, his eyes slightly unfocused but apology clear in his expression. "I’m sorry," he replied, weakly. "I didn’t realise it was that bad."

Dressing the wound as best she could with their limited supplies, Sam decided, "I don’t think it’s much further, but we’ll rest here for a few minutes before carrying on." Daniel’s response was to collapse thankfully onto his back and close his eyes, which worried Sam even more.

Ignoring her own aching body and protesting feet, she stood up and scanned the horizon. The open moorland meant that she could see quite a distance in all directions, but the Stargate was not yet in view. Checking the position of the sun to make sure they were still heading the right way, she hoped her deduction of the gate’s location was correct. She knew her logic was sound, but the stress of the situation was making her doubt herself, something she knew she could not afford to do.

Glancing back the way they had come, Sam spotted something in the distance that had not been there before. She concentrated on it for a moment and suddenly realised that it was moving towards them. As she watched, more shapes appeared and the sound of an alien cry drifted down to her alert ears.

She cursed, causing Daniel to open his eyes and look up at her questioningly. "Looks like the snakes have woken up," she told him grimly. "Sorry, Daniel, but we’re going to have to make a run for it." Offering him a hand, Sam pulled him smoothly to his feet, noting the wince that twisted his features as she did so. There was no time to worry about him, though, as the creatures were closing on their location.

Fervently hoping that the Stargate wasn’t far away, Sam set off at an easy jog, checking every now and then that Daniel was keeping up. At first, sheer willpower alone kept him by her side but he weakened rapidly, gradually slowing down as blood loss sapped both his strength and his determination. Sam took one of his arms and slung it over her shoulders, supporting him as best she could, but their progress became necessarily slower and their pursuers started to gain on them.

Just as she thought they could carry on no further, Sam’s prayers were answered by the Stargate finally coming into view. She pointed it out to a barely conscious Daniel and they both put on a last desperate burst of speed to reach their destination. As they approached the large metal ring and its promise of safety, Sam felt rather than saw a rock go whistling past her head to land in the grass with a solid thunk. Letting go of Daniel, she pushed him onwards with a breathless instruction to dial the gate. Then, without waiting to see if he did so, Sam spun round, bringing up her gun as she moved. Her gaze met with a group of scaled snake creatures coming at her with claws at the ready.

Unwilling to add to the deaths their presence on this planet had already caused, she fired a spray of bullets into the ground at their feet. It had the desired effect of bringing them to a startled halt, but they soon recovered their composure and began edging towards her again. Then Sam heard the familiar sounds of the Stargate being activated coming from behind her and the attention of the creatures was wrested away from her. She saw their eyes widen in fear at the noise before the whoosh of the wormhole vortex sent them fleeing in panic back the way they had come.

After making sure that they weren’t going to double back for another attack, Sam turned to see that, having done his part to ensure their passage home, Daniel had finally succumbed to his wounds and collapsed, unconscious, next to the DHD. Sam tapped in the iris deactivation code on the GDO strapped to her wrist, then lifted Daniel by the shoulders and dragged him with difficulty up the steps to the Stargate. Turning round so that they were both facing the gate, Sam muttered, "Sorry about this, Daniel," and pushed her team-mate through the event horizon before following him herself.

* * * * *

General Hammond was in his office when the announcement of an unscheduled offworld activation came over the tannoy. He made his way quickly to the control room, where the Sergeant on duty told him that an SG-1 transmission code had been received. Looking down at the active gate, Hammond ran through the possibilities in his mind. It had to be either Teal'c returning from the Land of Light or Major Carter’s temporary team coming back from P5Z-371. Neither party was due back yet, which usually meant something was wrong. The General’s fears were confirmed when the blood-covered form of Dr Jackson tumbled through the event horizon to land unmoving on the metal ramp, soon followed by an exhausted-looking, half-naked Major Carter.

Hammond grabbed the microphone that was sitting on the desk in front of him and depressed the button that would project his voice to the infirmary. "Medical emergency in the gate room!" he stated clearly. "I repeat, medical emergency in the gate room!"

Without the usual protection of several layers of clothing, the cold of interdimensional space had hit Sam like a physical blow and deposited her on the other side breathless and shaking. Her first thought was for Daniel and she threw herself down on the ramp next to him to check his status. She saw immediately that he wasn’t breathing and, when she felt at his neck for his pulse, she didn’t find one. In his weakened state, the shock of entering the wormhole without adequate clothing must have stopped his heart.

As the General’s voice summoned a medical team to the gate room, Sam frantically started CPR on her friend, desperate not to lose him as she had the rest of her team. After what seemed like an eternity, but must only have been a couple of minutes, she felt the familiar presence of Janet Fraiser at her side and the doctor’s voice penetrated her reeling mind. "How long has he been down?"

Sam replied without the need for conscious thought. "Only a minute or two. It was the shock of the wormhole." She relinquished Daniel to the care of the capable medical team, adding, "He’s lost a lot of blood," as her friend’s prone form was whisked away to the infirmary.

Then General Hammond was suddenly in front of her. "Major?" he questioned gently. "Where are the other two members of your team?"

With an effort, Sam brought her head up to meet his gaze and forced herself to speak the terrible words. "Sergeant Rafters and Lieutenant Green are dead, sir."

Hammond took in her dejected stance, the dirt and paint covering her torso, and the various scratches and bruises all over her body, and decided that further questioning could wait. "Get yourself down to the infirmary, Major," he ordered. "We can leave the debriefing until after you’ve been checked out."

Dazed and disoriented from fatigue and stress, Sam managed to mutter, "Thank you, sir," before allowing herself to be led away by one of the nurses, who had stayed behind to escort her.

* * * * *

Jack was still stuck in the infirmary when the offworld activation siren went off, followed by the medical emergency announcement. He didn’t know how many SG units were offworld but he did know that all three members of his own team were among them. Even in his anxiety, though, he couldn’t help but be impressed by the speed and efficiency of Dr Fraiser’s emergency team as they gathered up essential supplies and rushed to respond to the call. He had never seen the reaction to a crisis from this end before, being as he was often among those who were in need of medical attention. At least on this occasion he was in a good position to find out what was going on, having in a way a prime seat for the impending action.

Moments later, Jack would have been lying if he had claimed to be surprised when a gurney was rushed into the infirmary carrying the unconscious form of Daniel. He was, however, shocked at the apparent state of his friend. Blood-soaked improvised bandages wrapped his torn and battered torso, while his arms were a mess of abrasions and lacerations. Most worryingly, though, was the sight of the diminutive doctor perched atop the gurney, delivering chest compressions to her patient while at the same time issuing urgent instructions about blood transfusions and defibrillators.

Jack watched in stunned fascination as the infirmary staff worked to revive and stabilise Daniel, their actions seemingly frantic but in reality the result of careful consideration and practised expertise. Then he was thrown back into anxious uncertainty as a nurse pulled a curtain across between his bed and Daniel’s, effectively cutting of his view. Countless questions whirled around in Jack’s mind and the appearance of Sam in the doorway to the infirmary prompted an outburst that came out rather more forcefully than he had intended. "Carter! What the hell happened to Daniel?"

It seemed to take his 2IC a moment to focus on him and it was then that he noticed that she was in less than perfect shape herself. She was shaking and her expression as she met his enquiring gaze was a mixture of fear, anxiety and despair. When she spoke, her voice faltered. "Sir… I… I’m sorry… I…"

Then, before Jack’s helpless gaze, Sam’s eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. Luckily the nurse accompanying her managed to catch her before she fell and, at Jack’s concerned shout, one of the junior doctors rushed over and helped to transport the now unconscious Major to one of the empty beds. Another curtain was pulled across and Jack was left completely in the dark as to what was happening to his two team-mates.

* * * * *

A couple of hours later, Jack was sitting in a wheelchair, his injured leg stuck out awkwardly in front of him, Daniel on one side of him and Sam on the other. As soon as she had finished working on both her patients, Janet had immediately come over to their restless commanding officer, knowing that he would be desperate for information about their condition. She had explained to Jack that Sam appeared to be suffering simply from mental and physical exhaustion after what had obviously been a considerable, though still unknown, ordeal. The worst of her actual injuries were some nasty cuts and abrasions on her feet, and Janet assured Jack that she would be absolutely fine after some much-needed rest.

Daniel, on the other hand, was a different matter. After considerable blood loss and shock-induced cardiac arrest, he had slipped into a coma and was now swathed in bandages and hooked up to a respirator. Once she had stabilised him, Janet had carefully cleaned off all the blood, paint and what looked like bits of a tree from his body to reveal the extent of his injuries and had initially been shocked by the amount of damage that had been revealed. However, she had quickly determined that most of it was superficial and she was confident that Daniel would recover fully in time.

Jack had refused point blank to remain in bed on the other side of the room, instead insisting that he be allowed to take up a position between his two kids, as he called them, so that he would be on hand when they woke up. In order to prevent the inevitable row, Janet had relented after splinting the stubborn Colonel’s leg so that he wouldn’t be able to do it any further damage.

So now Jack sat watching Sam and Daniel anxiously for any sign that they might be regaining consciousness. General Hammond had come down to the infirmary briefly to check on all three of them and had asked to be informed as soon as Major Carter was able to answer questions. There were still two deaths to be accounted for and the General was impatient to discover what had happened.

Jack himself was feeling more than a little guilty that his stupid accident had resulted in him being unable to accompany his team-mates on what had obviously turned out to be an unexpectedly dangerous mission. He knew only too well what it was like to lose soldiers under his command and he hated the thought of Sam having to go through the experience. He was sure she had done everything in her power to protect her team, but still wished he could have been there to save her from the worst thing a commander could ever face.

Jack’s attention was brought back to his present surroundings as Sam shifted slightly in her bed and a low moan escaped her lips. Then her eyes suddenly flew open and she cried out desperately, "No! Leave them alone!"

Jack immediately placed a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her from trying to get up, and said softly, "It’s okay, Sam. You’re back at the SGC. You’re safe now."

"Colonel?" She met his gaze and the anguish in her eyes struck a blow straight to his heart. "Where’s Daniel? Is he okay?"

Jack directed her attention to the next bed along where Daniel lay, and he reassured her, "Doc says he’ll be fine. Do you feel up to telling the General and me what happened?"

At his words, Sam’s expression went blank, all the previously evident emotion abruptly locked away as her mind shied away from the painful memories. Jack recognised the symptoms all too well and knew that she would have to deal with her feelings at some point, but decided that right now finding out the details of the mission was more important.

After Dr Fraiser had examined Sam and declared her fit for a debriefing, the General was summoned to the infirmary so that Jack could be involved in the questioning. The two male officers listened in growing horror as Sam related the events of the previous night in a flat, emotionless tone that spoke volumes about her own reaction to what she had witnessed. When it was over, General Hammond spoke a few words of comfort and commendation of her actions before retreating to his office for the painful task of writing to the families of the dead soldiers.

Still reeling from the mental images prompted by Sam’s report, Jack reached out to take hold of her hand, but Sam pulled away from him, turning instead to Dr Fraiser. "Can I get out of here now, please, Janet?" she begged.

"I don’t see why not," came the sympathetic reply, "but I want you to take it easy for a while – you’ve had a rough couple of days."

Sam managed a grateful smile, then threw a guilty glance in Daniel’s direction. Jack interpreted it correctly and told her, "Don’t worry, I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any change."

Once Sam had dressed and left the infirmary, Jack looked at Janet with an expression of extreme concern.

"Give her time, Colonel," the doctor suggested. "She’s not ready to deal with it yet. It won’t be easy for her when she does, but she’s strong; she’ll get through it as long as we’re there to help her." She switched to a voice of authority and ordered, "Now, I want you back in that bed. I’ve given you more than enough latitude and you can keep an eye on Daniel just as easily from over there. It’ll be a while before he wakes up anyway and you should get some rest."

Jack was too drained to argue so he obeyed with the minimum of fuss, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Sam.

* * * * *

The first thing Jack did when Daniel finally woke up was to press the call button by the side of his bed to summon Dr Fraiser. The second thing he did was to ask one of the nurses to contact Sam and tell her to get down there. She had not reappeared since leaving the infirmary the day before and Jack was still very worried about her. By the time she arrived, Janet had disconnected Daniel from the respirator and declared him much healthier than he had any right to be under the circumstances.

Sam almost ran into the room and deposited herself on the edge of Daniel’s bed, hungrily drinking in the evidence that he was alright. "Oh Daniel, I’m so sorry!" were her opening words and he immediately took both her hands in his own.

"It’s okay, Sam, it wasn’t your fault," he told her gently. "None of it was your fault."

Her wide, blue eyes brimmed with unshed tears and she blurted out, "I don’t think I could have handled losing you as well."

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Daniel held her and stroked her hair as she finally broke down and began to sob. "There wasn’t anything you could have done," he whispered hoarsely, struggling with his own emotions, "and you saved me." He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. "You saved me," he repeated softly.

"But they were so young," Sam uttered brokenly. "They didn’t deserve to die like that."

"I know," Daniel replied. "Nobody deserves to die like that. It’s not fair." The two of them clung to one another, lost in their mutual pain.

Across the room, Jack watched them, feeling almost as if he was intruding on such an intensely personal scene. He also experienced a momentary stab of resentment that it was Daniel to whom Sam had finally opened up, but immediately berated himself for such an insensitive and selfish thought. His two kids had shared a horrific ordeal and he knew that the best way for them to deal with the aftermath was to help and support each other. However, even though he had not experienced their suffering with them, Jack was still their commanding officer and their friend. It would take both of them some time to get over what had happened and he resolved to be there for them to help them through it when the pain got too much for them to cope with on their own. He also resolved never to let them put themselves in danger without him being there to protect them ever again. They were a team and a family and, whatever happened, they would face it together.

**The End**

  


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> AUTHOR'S NOTE: I decided Sam deserved a story of her own, which meant forcibly removing Jack from the equation – he still managed to sneak in and take over at the end, though! Rather nastier than usual – but not nearly as nasty as the fist draft! This is me flexing my angst muscles…

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> © February 19, 2003 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp.  
> The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters  
> who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names,   
> titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.   
> 

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